SLC Mayor expresses concerns about President-elect Trump

SALT LAKE CITY — Mayor Jackie Biskupski is expressing concerns about President-elect Trump, his administration and its impact on women and minorities in her community.

In a blog post on Salt Lake City’s website, the mayor noted she is an openly gay woman, and the mother of two children of color. She said she is concerned about rhetoric that was in the campaign now filtering down into schools and neighborhoods and has heard residents’ concerns about the post-election climate.

“This highly charged rhetoric, often laced with bigotry toward women, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ people, is being reinforced as President-elect Donald Trump selects individuals to advise and lead our nation into the future,” Mayor Biskupski wrote.

“There has been encouragement from some to ‘wait and see’ what the next four years will bring. And while I agree, we must hold onto hope, I know from years of experience fighting for the rights of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities, ‘waiting’ and ‘hoping’ are not paths to equality. Our strength comes from our struggle and our willingness to stand up for what we believe.”

In her blog post, the mayor committed to stand up against oppression and pointed out the city is home to more than 5,000 refugees and immigrants. She said the Salt Lake City Police Department will continue its policy of not asking the immigration status of people during day-to-day contacts. Mayor Biskupski also said she would push for hate crimes legislation, continued protections for the LGBTQ community, greater access for the disabled and gender equality.

“Finally, anticipating that changes in Washington may set back efforts to address global climate change and environmental stewardship, I want to assure residents, Salt Lake City will work even harder to clean our air, protect our canyon watersheds and surrounding environment, and follow through on our policies to make our city cleaner and greener,” she wrote.